Flavorpill WMC: Interview with Bruce Tantum, Club Editor at Time Out NY

Flavorpill WMC: Interview with Bruce Tantum, Club Editor at Time Out NY

The only thing better, in our minds, than leaving snow-white New York for the shorty shorts and tank tops of Miami, is seeing snow-white New Yorkers actually wearing shorty shorts and tank tops in Miami. So it was especially good to see Bruce Tantum, longtime New York dance-floor fixture (he remembers Danceteria; do you?) and clubs editor for Time Out NY, properly defrosted from the snowstorms that hit Gotham last weekend. Naturally, we couldn't resist pelting him with our usual barrage of questionsâ¦

How many times have you been down at WMC? Math and Winter Music Conference don't really go well together, but I believe it's my ninth in a row. Which is not very old school, given that this is the 22nd year.

What are you most excited about seeing this year? It's really hard to say because I just kind of go with the flow. I plan really heavily, I make a printout of all the parties I want to go to and all the DJs I want to see, and once you get down here, you have a couple cocktails, you walk out of your hotel and see some friends, and then you just go in a different direction. Having said that, the Sunday School for Degenerates party is always good â probably the M-NUS party, the vibe is always good there. If I had my list with me I could tell you, but that's what happens. There's probably, literally, about 20 or 30 things each day I would like to go to if I could.

If you had unlimited cab fare and a jetpackâ¦ â¦and could make time stand still!

It's early in the week, but where do you think WMC is going? I think when M3 started, that almost gave it a little more meaningâ¦ You know, 99% of the people here aren't here for the conference, per se. It's more like a festival like Sónar or the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and in that respect I think in the last couple of years it's actually gotten better, because they have been getting a lot more interesting DJs, not just sort of the hack commercial guys, but more forward-thinking DJs. The last few years I've had a lot of fun. Probably about four or five years I was saying, what's the point of it, but â well, truthfully, I probably say that every year.

I say that about every festival I go to! Well, I say that about everything I doâ¦ [Laughs] But in reality, the lineup has really gotten more interesting in the last couple of years.

Last question: best and worst fashion trends seen this year in Miami? Well, I've only been here for a day, but the best is getting out of New York, where we had a late winter storm, to see people wearing not too many clothes. Whatever they're wearing, as long as it's not very much, that's a good thing. And the worst, I could say this always anywhere, any year, is guys with backwards baseball caps. Just stop doing that, guys. Don't do it!